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Crosswalk the Devotional - Apr. 21, 2008

“I have given them the glory that you
gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they
be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have
loved them even as you have loved me." John 17: 20-23

Living in a culture that highly values individualism, I find I am often tempted to think of my faith strictly in terms of the personal –
as a relationship just between me and God. Certainly, a personal relationship
with the Lord is vital to knowing Him and living out our faith. But I think, at
times, I’ve been a bit too isolated in my faith. When I take a look at the
early church in the book of Acts, I see that believers then lived out their
faith in the context of community, supporting each other through fellowship and
learning from the apostles even as the Church grew rapidly.

Today, the greater faith community is just as relevant. This
weekend our pastor, while reflecting on some of the TV coverage of the Pope’s
recent visit to America, shared his excitement over how large and diverse the
body of believers has become in the 21st century. That small group
of frightened disciples in the early years of Christendom has blossomed into a
big and beautiful population of those seeking to follow Christ.

Probably the most encouraging aspect of this growth over the centuries is how the Gospel
has truly crossed all cultures. In a Baptist
Press article titled “Transforming a Globalized World,”
Erich Bridges examines the demographics of modern Christianity. Pulling from a Christianity Today article by
Christopher J.H. Wright, Bridges points out that 70 percent of Christians now live
in the non-Western world.

And these Christians from around the world are reaching out to one another. Gone is the era of predominantly European missionaries sailing to unknown lands.
Wright notes that the second most common source of Protestant cross-cultural
missionaries is now India.
And Bridges shares, "According to Lausanne World Pulse, church leaders under
pressure in Afghanistan, Tajikistan and other Central Asian nations are asking
for Chinese workers to come teach them the meaning of suffering -– a topic with
which Chinese believers are well-acquainted."

Not only can a Chinese Christian offer a unique kind of hope to an Afghani
Christian, but Christians from other areas of the world have much to offer the WesternChurch. Statistics reveal that American
and European Christians are not flourishing as much as their brothers and
sisters in other countries. Less than 2 percent of
Europeans attend church, and many Westerners practice vague spiritualities or have strayed from the original Gospel message.

As disheartening as it might be to see a culture move away from Christ –
especially when it’s your own -- this “globalization” of the Church could truly
be a goldmine of opportunity for Christians to deepen their faith as we learn
and grow from one another. It also opens more doors to discuss unity among
various Christian communities – something Christ saw as vital to spreading His
love to others.

So where does this leave you and me? Well, for starters, we can garner much
strength and joy in knowing that we are not alone in our faith. We have
spiritual siblings all over the world.

It’s also an opportunity to reflect on
how plugged in we are to the Christian community. Are you attending a local church
regularly? Are you involved with their ministries or reaching out to other
members? The times I’ve been out on my own have been notably difficult. Growth
wasn’t happening and discouragement came too easily.

I'm not sure who made this analogy first, but I once heard the Church is
like a tree. It started out as an acorn, and over the centuries grew into a
mighty oak. Although the mighty oak may not look like the little acorn any
longer, it is still the original tree. We can move forward with confidence
knowing that no matter what challenges lie ahead, even on a global scale, the Holy Spirit will continue to
work through believers around the globe to bring us closer to Christ and each
other.

Intersecting Faith & Life: In your time with the Lord this week, ask Him where He wants you to serve in
His church. If you’ve been isolated, seek out fellowship and support from
others.